The Frelian Ball
by Raptorxd
Summary: The Frelian Ball. A time of piece. But when the party is turned upside down by Fiends, can the army survive, or will they all fall? Rated T for violence. Multiple pairings.
1. The Battle

Alright. I finally got the first half of this two-shot finished. I hope you guys like it. It is AU from my other fics, but I'm sure you already guessed that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, or these characters. The only thing I own is a injured shoulder, and the Amalgam.

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The Frelian Ball. He had been waiting for it for forever. It was going to be the day when he bested Ephraim, and won Eirika's hand. He was even wearing a deep navy overcoat, with a lighter blue shirt underneath. He had dressed up, for her. Funny, how something so simple could turn so complicating in one instant. Innes had just walked over to Ephraim, to challenge him, when an arrow flew through the window and struck Joshua in the shoulder. The whole party changed then. Natasha ran to Joshua's side, and Moulder threw her his Heal Staff. Both Innes and Neimi sprang into action, using their highly trained eyes to search for the Sniper. Neimi saw him first.

"There!" She shouted to Innes, pointing frantically. Innes had been carrying two bows at the time, so he threw one to Neimi and spun around to where she had pointed. The Sniper was jumping from branch to branch. Innes was taken aback. The Sniper was a Wight! What was a Wight doing there? The Wight stopped, and aimed at someone else in the ballroom. Innes took careful aim, and was about to release when the Sniper beat him to it. Colm shoved Neimi out of the way just in time to be struck in the stomach with the arrow, his white suit now stained with blood. Innes released immediately. The Sniper fell with a scream.

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That was the signal. Entombed, Wights, Maelduin, Gwyllgi, Deathgoyles, Arch Mogalls, Elder Bael and Gorgons broke through the front doors of the Ballroom. Fortunately, Gilliam had expected an attack of some kind, though not this, and had brought in weapons and armor, as well as the Frelian Guards. L'Arachel stood over Colm, with Neimi standing by crying. Innes nodded to Gilliam, and the General tossed him a sword. The Sniper threw the blade to Eirika, and she nodded thankfully. Innes nodded back, then started at a strange noise.

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Cormag, Tana, Syrene and Vanessa had whistled as one, calling their winged mounts. Genarog was the first to arrive, and the Wyvern let his presence be known by smashing through one of the stain-glass windows. Generog flew by Cormag at top speed, and the Wyvern Lord leapt on in mid-flight. Reaching into his pack he pulled out Valter's Delphi Shield, and a Steel Lance. The three Pegasi soon followed the Wyvern, landing with a collection of snorts as the three women tried their best to mount in their formal dresses and high heels.

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A Berserker was slicing his way through the melee to a pinkish-armored General, while a Paladin did the same from his side of the room, horseless. Amelia, meanwhile, was using a stolen Spear, thanking Rennac quickly as the Rogue continued on. Ross and Franz met her at the same time.

"Amelia!" Franz exclaimed. "Stay behind me!"

"Franz! I can fight!" Amelia said, punctuating her sentence by stabbing a Deathgoyle.

"As much as I would love to hear you two argue all night," Ross said, using his axe to parry a Maelduin. "We do have a fight going on!" Amelia suddenly saw Duessel brought down under an Elder Bael, but Ephraim was on the spider in a moment's notice, his Iron Lance stabbing down repeatedly. A flash of magic caught Ross' eye, and he shoved Amelia out of the way suddenly, letting Franz get hit by the blast of dark magic.

"Franz!" Amelia shouted. Franz groaned, then smiled weakly.

"I'd rather take the blast myself, then you take it." Amelia smiled back at that, then stopped.

"Where's Ross?"

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"Save her life, and all she does is worry about him. At least I'm not wasting my time!" Ross exclaimed as he brought down the Arch Mogall that had fired on Amelia.

"I'm glad!" Said a Hero that suddenly appeared beside him, a grin on his face.

"Gerik!" Ross said, beaming.

"You didn't think we'd miss the party, did you?" Ewan asked as he appeared behind Gerik. Ewan and Ross shook hands. The Summoner turned away for a second, shot as blast of dark magic, and turned back.

"Where's Amelia?" Ewan asked, a slight blush on his cheek. Ross almost yelled in frustration.

"Back there, flirting with Franz." The last word was dripping disdain.

"Let's not let them get too cozy! Come on!"

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Achaeus whinnied in pain as an arrow pierced his right wing. Tana screamed, and Ephraim felt his heart froze. He took to a run then, whistling three short dog calls. A gleaming warhorse came running in suddenly, rushing to Ephraim's side. The King of Renais then pulled himself into the saddle in mid-gallop, and urged it on, towards the falling Tana. Eprhaim leapt from his steed, and used his own body to break both Tana and Achaeus' fall. He heard a rib snap, but didn't worry too much about it. Tana was more important.

"Tana, are you okay?" Ephraim asked, wincing as even talking hurt.

"Y-yes, I think so. Thank you Ephraim! Oh! Achaeus! Get off of Ephraim this instant!" The Pegasus snorted, but did so, holding his right wing in an awkward position. Tana however, seemed completely content to sit on Ephraim.

"Tana, battle. I... urgh... needs to fight." Tana sighed and got up, before helping Ephraim up. The minute he had stood up, his legs fell from under him. Tana lifted Ephraim's arm over her head, and let him lean on her for support.

"No fighting for you Ephraim! We're going to sit back and relax for the rest of this battle. You can't fight in that position. Gilliam! I need you!" Ephraim tried to sigh, then regretted it. In his current state, he could do nothing. So, he merely laid his head against Tana's shoulder, and waited for a healer.

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Eirika ducked under a Maelduin's axe, stabbing it once with the blade Innes had thrown her. Seth, Forde and Kyle were at her side in moments, all three unhorsed. Saleh and Innes were standing slightly back from them, but were guarding her all the same. Forde blocked a blow from a Wight, only to have an Elder Bael lunge at him from behind. Vanessa swooped down on Titania, and struck it from behind. Forde grinned as she passed by, and would have waved if possible. Kyle brought his sword around in a glittering arc, and cut down a Arch Mogall as it passed by him. Kyle gasped as he saw Syrene's pegasus turn to stone in mid-air, and began to fall. He had only once choice. Jumping under the pegasus might kill him. But, not jumping under it would let the petrified animal fall to its doom. Kyle leapt forward, seeing his opportunity.

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L'Arachel ran her staff over Colm once more. She had no idea how the boy had pulled through. The arrow had gone clean through him. And yet, somehow, L'Arachel had been able to heal it. The troubadour smiled as Neimi hugged Colm to her, clinging to him as though he might disappear at any moment. L'Arachel turned around, intending to help some of the others, only to find herself face to face with a Cyclops. She screamed, and raised her staff to defend herself. Dozla gasped and began to run, already knowing he would never reach her in time. The cyclops raised his axe, and brought it down in a wide arc. L'Arachel gasped when she saw Rennac in front of her, arms outstretched. He grunted and fell. L'Arachel set to healing him immediately. The Cyclops raised its axe again, but Dozla leapt upon it, striking it repeatedly with his axe. The Cyclops shook, and was about to fall, when a knight slammed into it, forcing it to fall to the side, leaving its belly exposed. A petrified pegasus and its visibly shaken rider both landed on the soft belly of the dead Cyclops. Kyle smiled at Syrene, and she returned it.

"Are you alright?" She nodded.

"Yes." Kyle stood up, and held out his hand. Syrene took it, and stood. In moments her Pegasus would be back to normal. Syrene drew her blade, and smirked at Kyle.

"I believe that my princess, and your prince might need our help." Kyle spun around, just in time to see Tana standing with Gilliam, trying to protect Prince Ephraim from a small horde of Gwillgi. Kyle took off, Syrene right behind him.

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Artur and Lute were back to back. Lightning and Fire rained down on any enemies stupid enough to come by them, let alone attack them. Saleh broke off from his position guarding Eirika, and joined them. Lute gasped as her Fire Tome was consumed by a blast of dark magic. Artur handed her a Lightning Tome. She took it without complaint; not knowing it was his only defense. Artur grimaced when the first blow landed on him. He pulled the arrow out of his leg, and felt his stomach churn at the sight of blood. Lute turned to him.

"Artur?" Artur turned to her, trying to hold his stomach in.

"Y-yes?"

"You're hurt." Lute said, turning away from the battle briefly to check on him. If not for Saleh, they both would have died.

"Are you okay?" She asked the Bishop. Artur nodded.

"Yes. Just a moment of dizziness. I'm fine." Artur said, smiling. Lute nodded, and turned back to the enemy. She froze.

"Artur, where is your tome?" Artur turned away.

"You have it." Lute spun around.

"You gave me your only defense? Why?" Artur couldn't meet her eyes.

"I wanted you to be safe..." Lute blushed slightly, and held out the book.

"Then we will... use it together." Artur blushed, and nodded, taking Lute's hand in his own. They began chanting the words together. As one they flung out their arms, sending a blast of Light magic straight through a nearby Wight.

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Ross, Ewan, Franz and Amelia formed a square around L'Arachel and Rennac. Amelia let out a whoop of victory as Joshua cut a swath through the enemies, his blade moving like lightning. Beside him were two others. The Desert Tiger and the Purple Flash. The three blades almost seemed to join as they struck. Their users were so fast; the blades were but a blur. Ross cursed as a sword dug into his stomach, but a single slash of his mighty axe felled the Wight. Ewan was struck by the claws of an Entombed, but a Phantom brought it down. Natasha rushed into the square, and healed both Ewan and Ross, before turning to help L'Arachel with Rennac. Tethys was next to gain safety into the square, using her dances to rejuvenate the fighters. Garcia, Dozla and Duessel joined the square, forming a wide circle. Saleh, Lute and Artur were next to join. Moulder was right behind them. Forde, Kyle, Vanessa, Syrene, Gilliam, Ephraim and Tana came over, their way cleared by the King of the Shifting Sands. Moulder set to Ephraim at once. Cormag continued his suicidal runs, his eyes fierce. Every fiend he killed was Valter, all over again. Genarog had no trouble keeping up with the pace. The wyvern was grabbing fiends in mid-flight, and then dropping them when he reached the apex of his flight. Cormag let out a fierce and bitter laugh, before diving into his foes yet again.

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Eirika and Innes were boxed in. Having been pushed into a corner, they no longer had anywhere to go. Innes had long ago run out of arrows, and was now using a downed spear, having enough experience in its use from sparring with Ephraim. Eirika's blade had shattered on a Cyclops not long ago. Innes positioned himself in front of Eirika, countless wounds covering him. One of the Maelduin came forward.

"Why do you still fight?" It asked. Innes was shocked. The fiends... they could talk?

"I swore to protect this woman. I won't let you hurt her." The Maelduin shook its head.

"Then you shall die."

"Why are you doing this?" Innes asked, having to work just to remain standing. The Maelduin snarled.

"You killed our master. It is only fair." Innes scoffed.

"Then come. Kill me." Innes dropped the spear, and stood, arms out. The Maelduin charged, and Innes felt Eirika grip his shirt from behind.

"Innes!" She screamed, her eyes already watering. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Innes was about to die. After surviving the war, the Demon King, and his own stubbornness, he was going to die! The man she loved was about to die! Innes stood stock still, waiting. At the last moment, he stamped his foot down, forcing the spear up, and impaling the Maelduin with it's own force. Eirika stumbled slightly. Innes had... killed it? Innes was... alive? The fiends all made to charge at once. Innes lifted the spear, and pushed the Maelduin off of it. He dropped into a battle stance, ready to die if need be.

"Eirika, I just want to remind you, I love you." Innes said.

"Innes? I... I love you, as well." Eirika said, grabbing the Maelduin's golden axe and holding it aloft. Innes laughed sadly.

"I have not yet earned your love, Eirika." Eirika was shocked.

"You and your fool pride! Innes! We are both about to die!" Innes was about to say something, when one of the fiends rushed forward. Innes raised his spear, only to watch the fiend be cut down by a Purple Flash. Marisa stopped in front of them, panting slightly. Her blade was hanging deftly from one hand, coated in blood. Gerik landed beside her, his blade gripped tightly. In moments, Joshua was there.

"We did it once, let's get these two to the others." The Desert Tiger said, nodding to Innes. The Purple Flash nudged the King of the Shifting Sands, and he grinned.

"Right, my silent friend. Let's see what Lady Luck has to say!" Joshua flipped the coin, and Gerik looked over expectantly.

"Lady Luck is smiling today. Gerik, Marisa. You ready?" Marisa nodded. Gerik turned to Innes and Eirika.

"Just follow us." Innes nodded, and gripped Eirika's hand in his own. She nodded. Gerik turned back to Joshua.

"We're ready, sire." Gerik said, smirking. Joshua seemed to itch at the title, and took off. Gerik and Marisa were right behind him, cutting straight through the group of fiends, leaving a clear trail for Eirika and Innes to follow.

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Amelia leaned on her battered spear, her energy drained. Ewan was laying on the ground, summoning Phantom after Phantom, no longer able to stand but not wanting to give up the fight. Franz and Ross stood alone like twin monoliths in the northern half of the circle, the others having passed out, or broken their weapons long ago. In retrospect, no one would be quite sure how the two young men had struggled on, piles of ash around them, and still fighting. Garcia chocked it to determination, L'Arachel to love. Seth would later say that it was pure stubbornness. Ross turned to his rival, breathing heavily.

"You still alive over there, knight?" Franz smiled, holding the broken lance and stabbing down a Gwyllgi.

"I believe so, farmer." Ross grinned, bringing down an Elder Bael with his chipped axe.

"Good. Amelia would never forgive me if I let you die." Franz stumbled forward slightly, but Ross stopped his friend/rival.

"Why don't we die together?" Ross asked, holding up his now shattered axe. Franz nodded; so weak he couldn't even speak. A Cyclops raise its axe, and Ross grinned up at it, before spitting out some blood. The Cyclops brought its axe down.

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Cormag flew low, wondering where the Knights of Frelia were. They should have been here long ago. Cormag saw Marisa fall to a Elder Bael, but Gerik brought it down. Cormag spud Genarog around, and saw the Cyclops about to kill both Ross and Franz. He spurred into action, forcing Genarog into a dive. They struck the Cyclops in the face, forcing it backwards. Cormag leapt from his mount, and drove his spear deep into the fiend. Cormag fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Genarog landed, and let out a pealing roar. Cormag slowly stood up, and Ross grinned at him. Franz held up a shaky hand, and nodded.

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Innes looked up slowly. He had stolen a quiver from a Wight, and had already notched an arrow. Innes saw it then. It had the lower body of a Maelduin, but with the claws of a Elder Bael. It also had three heads. The first head was that of a Arch Mogall. The second was a Wight, while the third was that of a Draco Zombie. The arms were those of a Gorgon. On it's back were the wings of a Deathgoyle. The amalgam let out a dirge-like call, and waved one of its arms. Three Wights charged, and Innes' eyes widened. It was the General. The other fiends were obeying it.

"Cut off the head, and the snake dies." Innes pulled up his bow, and fired off three quick arrows, downing the Wights. The amalgam let out another call, and blasted a stream of black flames. Innes didn't flinch. He aimed, and pulled the arrow back. With a grunt of resignation, he released.

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Part two should be up in a week or two. Read and Review, or the Amalgam will come after you.

I'm a poet, and I already knowed it!

Raptor, out.


	2. One Year Later

I won't say much, just... be prepared. This chapter is quite different...

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem. If I did, that last chapter would have been the Final Level.

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[One Year Later

The Frelian Ball. Despite the commotion from last year, it was still held. This year, however, steps were taken. Guards were posted everywhere, even the punch table. Innes turned to his new brother-in-law, and scowled. Ephraim laughed, and walked off, having seen his wife. Innes felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Eirika.

"Innes, it isn't that bad being married to me, is it?" She asked with a smile. He scowled at her.

"It would be better if...he wasn't my brother." She laughed, and grabbed his arm, before pulling him out on to the dance floor.

"You two settled your differences, didn't you?" Innes shook his head.

"Eirika, the match was a draw." Eirika giggled, and put her hand on Innes' shoulder. Innes put his own hand on her waist. She turned to see Tana and Ephraim doing the same. She laughed slightly as they began to dance.

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Ross spun Amelia in a graceful arc. He grinned roguishly, and spun her again, this time releasing her. She let out a peal of laughter as Franz caught her, and the two began to dance. After a few moments, Franz spun her, right back to Ross. Ross continued to dance with Amelia, long into Franz's turn. Franz walked over and tapped Ross on the shoulder.

"Farmer, I believe it's my turn." Ross laughed, and nodded, passing Amelia on. Franz smiled, and moved Amelia further away, completely intent on doing the same to Ross. Amelia laughed. This was becoming fun. When they had danced up till Franz's next turn, Ross came over.

"Knight, it's my turn." Franz shook his head.

"Ross, It is definitely my turn." Ross' eyebrows rose, and he nodded.

"I see." Amelia gasped as Ross punched Franz. Franz stood back up, and nodded.

"Right." Ross reeled as the blow hit him. He chuckled, and then threw himself on the knight, punching and kicking.

"Ross! Franz! Stop it!" Ewan turned from where he was dancing with his sister, and grinned. He made his move.

"Amelia, would you like to dance?" Amelia smiled, and nodded. Franz and Ross stopped fighting just long enough to see Ewan dancing with their girl.

"Shall we?" Franz asked, standing up.

"Yes, let's." Ross said, cracking his knuckles. Saleh would never know exactly what happened to his pupil. Ewan showed up the next day for training with two black eyes, three missing teeth, a broken arm and a shattered collarbone. Seth would later tell him, that the same day Ross and Franz showed up for roll with much more extensive injuries. They refused to say who had beaten them so bad, but Amelia hadn't spoken to either for a week. For a month, the two cringed whenever she came near. Who injured them so badly? Amelia? Ewan? A crazed Author by the name of Twilight? You be the judge.

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Rennac sat in a chair, his white tuxedo a stark contrast with the random colors the others had. L'Arachel was sitting beside him, slowly growing angrier.

"Why aren't we dancing?" She asked, trying to contain her temper. This was the third time she had asked her husband this question.

"My wound hasn't healed." He said simply, staring back at the crowd.

"Your wound healed completely three months ago!" Rennac sighed.

"I don't want to dance." L'Arachel stood up.

"You don't have a choice! Come on!" She grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the dance floor. He sighed, but agreed.

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Kyle sat down by Forde with a sigh. His wife smiled and walked off, to dance with her King, if he would stop dancing with his wife long enough for her to do so. Poor Eirika had five other men wanting to dance with her. Innes, however, refused to let them.

"Having fun?" Forde asked, never taking his eyes from his painting.

"A bit." Kyle said, looking over his friends shoulder to see the painting. It was of the Ball, with Innes and Eirika dancing, while Seth and Saleh both stood by, waiting for their turn to dance with Eirika. Ephraim was dancing with Tana, and Syrene with Kyle. Vanessa stood off to one side, conversing with Gilliam and Moulder. Ross and Franz were attacking Ewan, and Amelia loomed over all three, her face contorted in rage. L'Arachel was forcing Rennac to dance, while Dozla and Garcia were trying to learn to use swords by watching Joshua and Gerik spar. Marisa and Natasha sat nearby, conversing with Tethys. Duessel and Knoll were nowhere to be found. Cormag was standing slightly away from the others, his eyes closed as he thought of his brother. Forde had even painted Glen's face, smiling down at Cormag. Lute and Artur were sitting with Neimi and Colm. Neimi and Artur were blushing furiously as Lute and Colm argued over which of their significant others was better. Colm had started it, and now he was paying for it. Lute was winning with the fact that Artur could cook. Kyle looked over at his friend.

"Where are you?" Forde smiled. He let his brush speak for him, and painted himself into one corner, sleeping. Kyle shook his head.

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Cormag looked out one of the windows. Tears threatened his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. As he watched the sun begin to set, he could almost see them. Glen, Selena, Vigarde. Cormag could remember dancing with Selena, her golden hair twirling about her in the dimly lit hall. He remembered laughing with Glen as Duessel stood to dance, trying to keep up with Selena's ravenous pace. When Duessel couldn't cut it, Vigarde stepped in. Cormag remembered laughing and slapping Glen and Lyon on the back when Vigarde threw his back out. Selena had then glided over, and held out her hand for Cormag again. Glen laughed, but Selena had shot him a glare that said he was next. Cormag had nodded, and stood. He couldn't remember when they stopped dancing; he only knew that Glen never got his turn. As Cormag watched the sun set below the horizon, he could almost swear he saw Selena, smiling at him as she and Glen danced into the night; He raised a hand to wipe at his eyes, then turned, and walked for the door.

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Artur and Neimi were chatting now, Colm's insane need for Neimi to be better than Artur finally quelled when he said,

"Neimi's a beautiful woman. That's something Artur can never be." Lute had moved to say something, but Artur had cut her off with a kiss. Anything to stop that crazy conversation before it got any farther. Now Lute sat with slightly red cheeks, reading, while Colm contemplated the chances of stealing Rennac's wallet while he danced.

"So then Ross says, it's not my turnip!" Neimi said, giggling. Artur laughed lightly, then screamed, very girlishly. Lute started, and turned to him, only to see a spider walking across the table. She sighed.

"On the other hand," Colm began, grinning to Neimi. "It sounds like he may be gaining on you."

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Joshua darted backwards, his blade shining like silver as he backtracked. Gerik pushed him, trying to over balance him. Joshua suddenly swerved, forcing Gerik's own weight against him. Gerik fell forward, and Joshua put his blade to his friend's neck. Marisa suddenly leapt up, and drew her sword. She cut the lower half of her dress off, turning it into a short skirt. She smirked, and charged her King. Joshua laughed, and spun, meeting her blade-to-blade. Natasha shook her head, and Gerik moved back to the table with a sigh.

"I think he enjoys sparring with her more."

"What makes you think that?" Natasha asked, watching her husband and silent best friend duel.

"He spars with her more." Gerik said, sitting back. "Plus, she's more unpredictable." Joshua and Marisa continued to spar, Joshua slowly gaining ground. Suddenly, Marisa jumped backwards, and came at Joshua with a curved arc. Joshua countered. Anyone watching would have thought, if not for the deadly steel weapons in their hands, that they were dancing. Joshua pushed forward, and Marisa was slowly being pushed back. She suddenly tripped over a now sleeping Forde. Joshua reach for her, but was too late. She had landed on Forde's sleeping wife, Vanessa. Forde had finally convinced her to try it. Unfortunately, her sleep had been interrupted. Joshua held out his hand for his friend, intent on helping her up. Forde, however, had awoken in the melee, and sat up right as Joshua leaned over. The result? Joshua wound up in Forde's lap, and Marisa in Vanessa's. Gerik and Natasha had run over, fearing that someone might have been harmed.

"Wow." Gerik said, grinning. "I never knew the King of the Shifting Sands swung that way." Joshua glared at him, and rolled. He then held up his hand for Marisa, who took it. Next was Vanessa, then, finally and begrudgingly, Forde.

"We can all see how well that worked, Forde." Vanessa said, turning to try and find Innes to dance with.

"How is all that my fault?" Forde asked, following her. Joshua, Gerik and Marisa looked at each other for a moment, then all three began laughing. Joshua walked over to his wife, and smiled roguishly. She smiled back at him, and then glided to the dance floor. Gerik and Marisa were right behind them.

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Eirika smiled as Innes sent both Vanessa and Seth off. Her smile soon turned into a sigh as Innes looked over at the door again.

"Innes, you prepared for every occurrence. You shouldn't worry." He sighed.

"I can't help it." He said, turning back to her with a sad smile.

"The lower half of Frelia was ravaged by those monsters. Our people are still trying to rebuild." Eirika met his smile with one of her own, and looked aside to watch Cormag fly away on his trusty wyvern.

"Our people came out of it with almost no casualties. Most of them were safe further inland from the War." Innes nodded.

"I just..." Innes looked away, and closed his eyes.

"I feel like it's my fault. My responsibility." Eirika looked down at the golden band on her hand.

"Our responsibility, Innes. And it is." He glanced over at her, not quite expecting that answer. She began fidgeting with the ring on her finger.

"It's our responsibility to take care of our people. We have to make sure they have food, lumber..." She blushed intensely, and looked away from Innes.

"An heir..." Innes coughed and almost fell over in surprise. Normally Eirika wouldn't have approached that subject like that...

"Innes... I need to tell you something..." Eirika was fidgeting even worse now. Realization struck Innes like a hammer. Eirika had been sick for the last two weeks, every morning. Eirika was craving the strangest foods lately. Her strange abruptness with the conversation of an heir.

"Innes... I'm pregnant." For the very first time in his life, Innes was speechless. Eirika began getting nervous. Innes wasn't saying anything.

"Innes..."

Eirika's pregnant...

"Innes."

Eirika's pregnant...

"INNES!!!"

Everyone else looked at her, but Innes didn't.

Eirika's pregnant... I'm going to be a father... How did this... Never mind that. When did this... Yet another stupid question Innes...

"INNNES!!! I'M PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD!!!! DOESN"T THAT MATTER TO YOU?!?!?" Eirika's breath hitched when she felt all the eyes on her. The ballroom was deathly silent. Innes suddenly folded, his eyes rolling slightly as he pulled his wife into a hug.

"I'm going to be a father..." Eirika felt relief wash over her, and couldn't help herself as she began to tear up. They both froze when they heard clapping. One by one, everyone in the room had begun to clap. Eirika and Innes smiled, and Innes looked down into his wife's eyes.

"We're not naming him after your brother." Everyone except for Innes burst out laughing. Eirika had a large smile on her face. Innes looked her straight in the eye.

"I'm serious. We're not naming my son Ephraim." Eirika gave him a weird look, and he couldn't help himself. He kissed her, then whispered in her ear.

"I like Innes Jr. more." Eirika laughed and pulled her husband out onto the dance floor again.

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As the last of the laughing couples departed, three russet pairs of eyes growled out his warning to the dark roots of the bush he was hiding in. It had taken the Amalgam a whole year to reassemble himself from a single arrow.

"They think it's over. If only they knew..."

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Author's Notes: Not all of you might have liked that, and I apologize, but I wanted a more... happy ending. We have now finished The Frelian Ball. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, and those who review my other stories. Now that this is done, I can devote more time to War and TotT. Hopefully, a new chapter to both will be up Saturday.

Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers, and to Twilight in my Eyes for the inspiration, and the always devoted reviewing to everything I write. I recommend her newest Fic, The Arrow Pierced Heart, which was written for me. Thanks again Twilight!

Raptor, out.


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